I just inherited this shotgun (I refuse to call it a "shotty"). My oldest brother brought it to me this afternoon. My dad got it from his best friend as a kid and a young man, and it had belonged to his father. From the serial number, I would place it mid to late Twenties. It probably hasn't been used it thirty years, but my brother said he got his first six Chuckers with it on six straight shots.

It has wear, and a small chunk missing from the base of the stock by the buttplate, but I wouldn't change a thing.

I don't know Brownings that well, but I'd say the 'suicide safety' indicates it's early 'twenties or older... . No matter what its born-on date, it's very nice and the fact that it's an heirloom makes it priceless.

lpl

__________________Mindset - Skillset - Toolset. In that order!

Attitude and skill will get you through times of no gear, better than gear will get you through times of no attitude and no skill.

It ain't worth the scrap price of the steel... I feel so terrible about you being stuck with such a junk firearm that I'll give you $20 for it.

Very nice... I would give my left.. err... pinkie toe for one of those... A finer semi-auto shotgun has yet to be made IMO...

__________________"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."-Richard Henry Lee, Virginia delegate to the Continental Congress, initiator of the Declaration of Independence, and member of the first Senate, which passed the Bill of Rights.

My first shotgun that I got when I was 15 was a Belgium made Browning Auto 5. It is the shotgun that I first learned to shoot and hunt with when out shooting with my Dad.

Sadly, that beloved shotgun was later stolen in a burglary of my Dad's house. He replaced it, but by then production of the Auto 5 had moved to Japan. I still have that Auto 5, and it is a gorgeous gun that still shoots and functions absolutely great. I just wish I had my original Belgium made gun that I shot with as a kid, instead of this replacement my Dad's insurance paid for. Instead, someone somewhere else has that shotgun.

John Moses Browning was such a visionary, and he personally considered the Auto 5 to be his greatest breakthrough achievement in firearms design. In fact, it was his creation of the Auto 5 that lead to his fall out with Winchester, and his leaving them to go work with Fabrique Nationale instead.

Browning realized that the Auto 5 would revolutionize shotgun shooting, and demanded that Winchester give him a royalty for the gun. When the President of Winchester told him a flat no, and only offered him a miserably low fee to purchase all rights for it, Browning stormed out, and never did business with Winchester again.

The Browning Firearms museum in Ogden, Utah has both the first and last production Auto 5 shotguns on display:

I don't own any shotgun quite that old myself. But I am also a Browning fan, and by far my oldest shotgun is one that is a little over 70 years old, and is Browning's first big achievement in Shotguns: The Winchester Model 1897 pump action.

The 1897 was to pump shotguns what the Browning Auto 5 was to automatics: they were both the first guns of their type to be a real big success. In fact, both were huge hits in the market. The 1897 ended up selling over 1 million guns, and the Browning Auto 5 sold over 3 million units.

I'm honestly hesitant to shoot my 1897 much at all, and I've never even taken it hunting. It is a short 20" model, but has a modified choke, making it quite effective for hunting. It balances and swings just great, despite its short length.

Anyway, nothing is quite like these old classic Browning designed shotguns. They are indeed guns to always treasure. And they pay tribute to a true American hero and genius: John Moses Browning.

This email link is to reach site administrators for assistance, if you cannot access TFL via other means. If you are a TFL member and can access TFL, please do not use this link; instead, use the forums (like Questions, Suggestions, and Tech Support) or PM an appropriate mod or admin.

If you are experiencing difficulties posting in the Buy/Sell/Trade subforums of TFL, please read the "sticky" announcement threads at the top of the applicable subforum. If you still feel you are qualified to post in those subforums, please contact "Shane Tuttle" (the mod for that portion of TFL) via Private Message for assistance.

This email contact address is not an "Ask the Firearms Expert" service. Such emails will be ignored. If you have a firearm related question, please register and post it on the forums.